Oldfaithful
Hall of Famer
So I've been reflecting on the offseason a lot lately. Here's my overall take on it so far.
1. I LOVE the signing of Tony Jefferson. He was an underrated and unheralded player in Arizona who was a borderline-elite safety. Pairing him with Weddle gives us an elite tandem, and it would not surprise me if he starts making pro bowls/all pro teams here. I was calling for us to get him back in November, and I'm glad this came true. Not only this, but he helps give the defense an identity again. We are going to punch you in the mouth. Overall. This was great.
2. Ozzie messed up in certain facets though. I still think giving Brandon Williams all of that money was ridiculous. He plays 80% of the snaps, and he's a damn fine player but that money should have been used elsewhere. I hate the fact that outside of Danny Woodhead, we more or less ignored the offensive side of the ball. I would have taken the money we gave to Williams and have given it to a Larry Warford type. We could have still drafted Siragusa and put him at C. But nonetheless. The Williams deal is going to come back and bite us in the ass. Speaking of, the Timmy Jernigan trade was still a fireable offense imo. We essentially traded Timmy Jernigan for Chris Wormley.. Which I'm sorry to say, is shitty. I think Wormley is going to be Lawerence Guy at his very best. Timmy, for all of his inconsistencies, was a total beast when he was on his A game. I would have also preferred to keep our best interior pass rusher. If/when Ozzie gets canned in the offseason look for the Jernigan trade to be one of the top reasons why. I would have picked Timmy over Brandon every day of the week.
3. This said. It's clear to everyone what the plan is if Ozzie does stay(Which I doubt. I think he's fired towards the end of the season). He puposed a two year plan. Which honestly. Isn't terrible. Let's look at it this way. This years draft was loaded on defensive talent. And Ozzie capitalized which I don't blame him for. Although I would have gone in a different direction, the Humphrey pick makes a lot of sense. He fits our scheme like a glove and has a lot of problems that can be coached out of him(I personally would have taken Allen, whom imo was the best player on the board by far). Bowser will likely be better than Orr by season's end, Wormley is a day 1 starter.. Albiet a very average one(again. Lawerence Guy 2.0. Not worth a 3rd round pick). And Tim Williams, even if he is a bench player, will be a stud pass rusher who is going to kill QBs.
As concerned as I am for the offense, the offensive class next year is so much more talented.. Before we factor in QBs, 4 in which(Darnold, Rosen, Jackson, and Allen) I fully expect to be first round picks. There are guys like Quinten Nelson, Saquon Barkley, Calvin Ridley, Nick Chubb, James Washington. I think next year is the year to pounce there.
All in all. The offseason was okay in my book. But if there is one positive, Ozzie took our rapidly closing window, and shot it with a bazooka imo. The defense is young, and very talented and has potential to be in the top 5 for the next several years. Guys like Mosely, Kaufausi, Young, Judon, Humphrey, Bowser, Pierce, Henry, Williams, really excite me. I think that's a great young group of guys with a lot of potential to build around. If we can field a good offensive line(for what it's worth. I do like 3/5 starters on the oline with Alex Lewis being a massive question mark) and stock up on offensive talent for the 2018-2019 season. I think we could have a new window for super bowl contention.
Until then though, I could see us going anywhere from 6-10(which is fine. GIVE ME SAQUON BARKLEY), or 10-6.
1. I LOVE the signing of Tony Jefferson. He was an underrated and unheralded player in Arizona who was a borderline-elite safety. Pairing him with Weddle gives us an elite tandem, and it would not surprise me if he starts making pro bowls/all pro teams here. I was calling for us to get him back in November, and I'm glad this came true. Not only this, but he helps give the defense an identity again. We are going to punch you in the mouth. Overall. This was great.
2. Ozzie messed up in certain facets though. I still think giving Brandon Williams all of that money was ridiculous. He plays 80% of the snaps, and he's a damn fine player but that money should have been used elsewhere. I hate the fact that outside of Danny Woodhead, we more or less ignored the offensive side of the ball. I would have taken the money we gave to Williams and have given it to a Larry Warford type. We could have still drafted Siragusa and put him at C. But nonetheless. The Williams deal is going to come back and bite us in the ass. Speaking of, the Timmy Jernigan trade was still a fireable offense imo. We essentially traded Timmy Jernigan for Chris Wormley.. Which I'm sorry to say, is shitty. I think Wormley is going to be Lawerence Guy at his very best. Timmy, for all of his inconsistencies, was a total beast when he was on his A game. I would have also preferred to keep our best interior pass rusher. If/when Ozzie gets canned in the offseason look for the Jernigan trade to be one of the top reasons why. I would have picked Timmy over Brandon every day of the week.
3. This said. It's clear to everyone what the plan is if Ozzie does stay(Which I doubt. I think he's fired towards the end of the season). He puposed a two year plan. Which honestly. Isn't terrible. Let's look at it this way. This years draft was loaded on defensive talent. And Ozzie capitalized which I don't blame him for. Although I would have gone in a different direction, the Humphrey pick makes a lot of sense. He fits our scheme like a glove and has a lot of problems that can be coached out of him(I personally would have taken Allen, whom imo was the best player on the board by far). Bowser will likely be better than Orr by season's end, Wormley is a day 1 starter.. Albiet a very average one(again. Lawerence Guy 2.0. Not worth a 3rd round pick). And Tim Williams, even if he is a bench player, will be a stud pass rusher who is going to kill QBs.
As concerned as I am for the offense, the offensive class next year is so much more talented.. Before we factor in QBs, 4 in which(Darnold, Rosen, Jackson, and Allen) I fully expect to be first round picks. There are guys like Quinten Nelson, Saquon Barkley, Calvin Ridley, Nick Chubb, James Washington. I think next year is the year to pounce there.
All in all. The offseason was okay in my book. But if there is one positive, Ozzie took our rapidly closing window, and shot it with a bazooka imo. The defense is young, and very talented and has potential to be in the top 5 for the next several years. Guys like Mosely, Kaufausi, Young, Judon, Humphrey, Bowser, Pierce, Henry, Williams, really excite me. I think that's a great young group of guys with a lot of potential to build around. If we can field a good offensive line(for what it's worth. I do like 3/5 starters on the oline with Alex Lewis being a massive question mark) and stock up on offensive talent for the 2018-2019 season. I think we could have a new window for super bowl contention.
Until then though, I could see us going anywhere from 6-10(which is fine. GIVE ME SAQUON BARKLEY), or 10-6.